Tokyo welcomes you

Tokyo is one of the coolest places on earth and I seriously walk around going, “oh wow” and “cool” and “neeeeeat” when I’m there. I just returned from a short trip to the neon light land where I was welcoming, orienting, and inspiring the new JETs who have just arrived in Japan. My 5 days there were busy ones, but overall I really enjoyed myself. All the different kinds of people from all over the world mixing and meeting is great fun and a welcome change to the small town life I usually lead these days.

Below is a series of pictures taken with my sweet cell phone cam (so for all those non-readers, this post is especially for you).


The city by day. This is the view out my room window at the Keio Plaza Hotel.


Karaoke! I think there are about 3 karaoke places for every 5 people in Tokyo (just a random unqualified statistic).


This is Ollie, my co-presenter for our workshop on Japanese Pop Culture.


This is proof that Olli and I did indeed give a presentation on Japanese Pop Culture (look carefully for our names).


(some of) The new JETs for Oita-ken! Pretty cool group.

Beginnings and Endings

The cyclical nature of life, its beginnings and endings, is a familiar aspect of the human experience and we are familiar with this concept from the first time we hear a bedtime story that beings with “once upon a time” and ends with “and they live happily ever after.” Our lives are balanced by birth and death and throughout life we go through a series of new beginnings and final farewells. Here in Japan, I’m going through one of those moments right now and I decided that writing about it would be a good way to process my thoughts.

Last week I celebrated my one year anniversary of being in Japan and while this date brought me a sense of accomplishment and stability, it also made me feel a bit sad and nervously uncertain (oh the dichotomy). You see, me starting my second year in Japan means that there are those who are finishing their time here and thus I must say good bye to folks who are bound for their home countries around the globe. My story goes on in Japan, but others must pick up and set out on the next part of their own personal epics. Beginnings and endings…

Two of my best friends who are departing these shores are U.K. citizens Ben and Steph. Over the past year we’ve (plus Isabel too) spent a lot of time together from wild nights out to quiet evenings in. We’ve drunk together, discussed literature and society, shot each other in the head, enjoyed various TV shows and films, eaten fabulous meals, sat naked together in onsens, and even sent armies against one another in attempts to rule the world. Together with dear Isabel, Ben and Steph made Japan familiar and comforting…bringing invaluable friendship to me.

To them, and others who have ended their time here in Japan, I wish you well. You will be missed and always remembered…and know that while our stories mixed here, you had a profound impact on me.

To those who remain in Japan, and those who have just arrived here, know that we have an epic waiting to unfold…and I am eager for the adventure.

And to those awaiting my return back home, be comforted that I’ll be home soon…for a year goes by in a flash.

Love to all.


(Steph and Ben at Usa Shrine…walking off into the sunset)

The gods need a ride

Tis the season of summer festivals in Japan and on any weekend from mid-July to late-August you’ll find hanging lanterns, people dressed in yukata, and takoyaki stands (that’s friend octopus balls…like the fried octopus is in a ball shape…not actually the balls of the octopus) at events in shrines, castles, down the length of streets, or even placed simply in parking lots. This past weekend I got a chance to enjoy the celebration at Usa Jingu, one of the most important Shinto shrines for the god Hachimensan in all of Japan (and located close to Ajimu).

While my original plan was to causally enjoy the festival as a spectator, I suddenly found myself becoming an active participant in the day’s events. One of the major parts of the festival at Usa Jingu is the carrying of the omikoshi in and around the shrine grounds (an omikoshi is a “portable shrine” that’s big and heavy and rests on wooden beams so it can be paraded around). From what I understand of it, the deal is that the various gods who hang around Usa Jingu should get a chance to see more of the area, so the Shinto priests pray them into omikoshi and then working as a team, a group of people carry the omikoshi around the town inspiring the locals and giving the gods a fun ride. The event is lively and invokes long standing Japanese traditions, but it’s also a bit exhausting for those who carry the omikoshi (cause even with 15 people lifting together a large wooden vessel with large wooden beams is still really heavy). My Japanese friend Hiro asked me if I wanted to help carry the omikoshi in the festival and after a simple “sure, I guess”, I found myself changing into a pair of short shorts and donning a light robe and a pair of footies that made my feet look like Ninja Turtle feet.





There were multiple “teams” of omikoshi carriers made up of mostly young men from the area (however this year there was also a women’s team) and once we were all outfitted in our clothing, we gathered at Usa Jingu to be rallied and blessed by the Shinto priests. After some bowing and clapping and the handing out of small talismans to wear around our belts, everyone was given a bit of salt and some sake to lick and shoot before the carrying began. I will admit that around this time I started thinking about the Ark of the Covenant and how like the Ark, the omikoshi were box-shaped and carried by poles and I was wondering what would happen if I actually touched the omikoshi instead of just the pole (cause at least one Israelite was struck down by touching the Ark with his hand) and if what I was doing was in any way in contest with my Christian beliefs. But the atmosphere of the event was light and I looked really awesome in my clothes, so off we went to walk the 2 kilometer course.



The carrying wasn’t too strenuous due in part to the frequent stops we made along the way to have refreshments. The people cheered as we passed and sometimes a shop owner would rush out to give us a bottle of sake to put on our omikoshi as we walked around the neighborhood adjacent to the shrine. After about 2 hours or so of carrying, everyone made it back to where we had started from and with a final lifting of the SHRINE and a dangerous running wildly around in circle maneuver, we laid the omikoshi down to rest.



After a shower and a return to civilian clothes, I finished my evening with a walk around Usa Jingu in the evening crowd eating kakigori (snow cone) and awing at the blazing sparkle of the festival fireworks. The day was hot and tiring, but enjoyable because it gave me a chance to participate in something truly Japanese. And I also got to show off my nice legs.

Disoriented moment of the week

When I heard the buzz about a local festival called “Jamaica Mura” (that’s “Jamaica Village” for those of you back home) I envisioned a small event decorated in red, yellow, and green with a few food stalls selling jerk chicken and snow cones. Maybe there’d be a guy with fake dreadlocks and some reggae playing out of a boom box. Not a bad set up for inaka Japan…you got to take what you can get… and seriously, what does small town Japan know about Jamaica? (I know local folks who think England is INSIDE America and Brazil is close to Florida). So imagine my surprise when I looked down onto a large field in Innai (Ajimu’s neighboring town) to see a crowd rocking to live reggae with loads of delicious authentic Jamaican food lining the sides.



As I descended down into the crowd, I was amazed and inspired by all the people around. The young Japanese folks had their colorful, stylish clothes and mixed among them were a random sprinkling of foreigners. This is when I had my disoriented moment of the week. You see, living out in the inaka where the population is 99.99% Japanese can cause a syndrome in foreigners called “gawk-a-lot at the non-Japanese”. Usually when I see another non-Japanese person in Japan—especially anywhere around where I live—who I don’t know, I stare and think “who is that?!” (much like what the Japanese people do to me). So at the much cooler, much larger Jamaica Mura with the small pockets of gaijin enjoying the festival along with the natives, I felt momentarily disoriented and confused as to where I was.

Once I found my friends, Ben, Keiko, and Isabel (pictured below), I regained my stability and jumped into enjoying the chill atmosphere and sunny weather. At one point I even engaged in a round of badminton—the Japanese sport of choice when hanging around outside much like Frisbee throwing back home. My eikaiwa friend Eri was the owner of the equipment and our game ended due to windy weather that kept blowing our birdy into the laps of people sitting nearby (the last time I had to go over to retrieve the birdy I was met by a slightly upset young lady who passed the birdy to me as if it were actually a dead bird).




The afternoon hanging out at the festival was great and I even got to see some of my students in their hip, non-uniform clothes that I almost never get to see them in (the kids wear their uniforms ALL the time!). Ah, Japan has shown me so much over the last year, but there appears to be so much more to see. Until next time…

Justin goes Japanese

Last Thursday at Gusto I picked chopsticks over a fork. The decision was a simple, almost trivial one…but in that moment I realized something…something exceedingly important. I realized that I’ve become Japanese.

To my friends and family back in America, I write to you today to tell you that I’ve gone over to the other side. And by “other”, I mean Japanese. After 11 months, 2 weeks in Japan, I’ve finally shed myself of rough western individualism and embraced efficient Japanese serenity.


Here’s me with my sensei. Through her guidance I've gained some skill in the Japanese language as well as learned insights into the Japanese culture.


This is me at a temple wearing a traditional yukata—this is what I wear seven days a week now.


This is Pauline (Taiwanese-American) and Lisa (Japanese-American) in their traditional yukata. Nowadays I only hang out with Japanese people or foreigners who have Asian blood in them (aren't they lovely!).


Me and Ted (Chinese-Greek-Canadian) looking oh so serious about being in our yukata.

Okay, so maybe I’m being a bit dramatic. And Pauline, Lisa, and Ted, I have nothing but love for ya’ll (please don’t report my blog to the bosses!). I’m just really hot and kind of delirious and wanted to show pictures of me in my yukata. Forgive this strange post and my tacky use of it as a vessel to display my photos. I assure everyone that I still maintain a very healthy respect for both my American heritage and my Japanese home.

Tedshark, a short film by Pauline

To start off with, here is a short video we made while at the beach last weekend. Enjoy, it's very dramatic.

Miyazaki and the greatest Japanese recreational activity of all time

Once long, long ago, the most divine sun goddess, Amaterasu, looked down from her lofty throne and saw that the mortal land of Japan was in need of unification. Thus she gave birth to a line that would eventually result in Emperor Jimmu, the first emperor of Japan. His holy birth took place in what is today called, Miyazaki Prefecture, located just south of my home in Oita Prefecture. Miyazaki is known for much more than just being the birthplace of Japanese civilization—it’s also got some really great beaches. And that’s what I enjoyed the other day when the rains of the rainy season subsided and allowed Amaterasu to shine her warm brilliance down on the earth once more.


The blue sea in summer’s bliss…Ted and I swam out to a buoy and almost died.


Ted, Lisa, Zack, and Pauline feasting on a lunch of Miyazaki’s specialty food: chicken nanban (actually Ted and Zach had ebi, but it was still fried and covered in mayonnaise like the chicken).


The crew expressing our feelings about war.


So there’s Miyazaki…but what about the greatest recreational activity of all time? I some of you out there are thinking “pachinko”, “sumo”, or even “extra classes on a Friday afternoon” but I’m here to tell you that KARAOKE is the absolute most wonderful recreational activity here in Japan.



Go as a group, go as a couple, go alone…just go and sing and sing until there’s no more singing left in you. Karaoke lets you become a star in increments of 3-4 minutes and during that time the song is yours to breathe new life into. Some of my favorite tunes are Radiohead’s “Creep”, Oasis’ “Don’t Look Back in Anger”, and Bette Midler’s “The Rose” (don’t laugh, that song is powerful!).


Here’s Lisa singing her heart out.


And Ted, the Godfather of the music machine, giving a stellar performance as always.

Karaoke is an activity that I’ve learned to love and embrace over the last year here. The HUGE number of songs available is overwhelming and inspiring and I foresee many more hours and yen being invested in this pastime during my second year in Japan.

Journey to the center of Nihon: TOKYO!

The moment I saw my airplane parked and waiting beyond the thick glass walls of the Oita airport I knew my trip to Tokyo would be whacked out head trip from beginning to end. Decorated with 50 of the 150 colorful Pokemon creatures from the popular Japanese kid’s cartoon show, the plane screamed enchantment as well as insanity. Before I boarded, I sincerely wished for the flight attendants to be either, 1.) real pokemon, thus bringing a long-held fantasy to life, or 2.) real people dressed up in pokemon costumes. The sad adult truth is that neither wish came true and instead I had to settle for beautiful, polite Japanese women serving warm towels. Behold, the aircraft:



A quick hour and half later I was disembarking in a metropolis-mecca for techie-geeks and sushi-fans with a zeal to experience anything the city had to offer. My first stop: Shibuya, to rendezvous with my Scottish friend and fellow ALT, Rhoda. Shibuya’s most globally-notable feature is the massive crosswalk that boasts being the busiest crosswalk in the world. Located right outside the Shibuya Labyrinth or “train station”, the crosswalk is an ideal spot for gawking at the strange and interesting characters produced beneath Tokyo’s lights and techno beat.



On our first night in the city, Rhoda and I decided to head to the dance club/love hotel part of Shibuya were one can find a high concentration of both. On our way to the club, Rhoda spied a most remarkable establishment called Alcatraz ER—a themed restaurant where maximum security prison meets bloody surgery. I know, go ahead and freak out and yell, “What?! Are you crazy?!” because the answer is “yes, of course…I’m in Tokyo.” After being handcuffed and led to our table inside a jail cell, Rhoda and I ordered drinks that were served by nurses in bloody uniforms. The whole place was decked out to match the theme—dark, scary, prison-hospital—but the Japanese servers were still their polite and slightly awkward selves.


After we were discharged/escaped Alcatraz ER, we hit up Harlem, the largest hip-hop club in Tokyo. Located secretly among all the other clubs and bars (we had a little trouble finding it), Harlem is where all the Japanese hip-hop-posers want to be. The club is pretty big with a DJ dais filling an entire wall and enthroning as many as 5 DJs at once. The crowd there seemed intent on facing the DJs as if we were at a concert instead of a free moving dance club and Rhoda and I were the only foreigners in the club until about 1am. After I busted about a million moves, we headed out and retired for the night/morning.

The remaining three days in Tokyo were equally as enjoyable, but for now I’ll just leave you with some pictures and a few descriptions.


Posh streets of Ginza as the sun was setting on a rainy day. I did not shop at any of the high-end designer stores.


View of Akihabara, the electronics hub of Tokyo. With its endless stores filled with all kinds of electronic goods, Akihabara is also known as “geek central” and “place of a thousand virgins.”


My posse for a night out in Roppongi. By the time 5am rolled around and the trains were running again (yes I stayed out all night), I had lost all of them to the chaos of the night.

There and back again: my visit home to America

After about 26 hours of continuous travel from Hampton, Georgia to Ajimu, Japan, I feel great! Sure I feel disoriented and confused about being back in my inaka apartment with tatami mats instead of carpet and rice fields instead of a yard, but that’s what makes living here in Japan so special. Jet lag is blurring my mind a little bit and the newly arrived heat of the season reminds me of when I first arrived about eleven months ago. I have a lot of unpacking and readjusted to do, but in the meantime here are some photos from the last 2 weeks of my trip home to North Carolina and Georgia.



The newly married Ryan and Jessica Bailey! They were the inspiration for my return home. Can you believe this is the only picture I took of them? Ryan, honestly, look normal for once.


Me and Blake with our bold stripped ties.


Back in the land where I’m only average height. Me between 6’5” Baker and 6’somethingslightlylessthan5” Naughty Naughty Kiefer


Danyele and Amy—loyal allies in the war against all things Robot and Zombie. They also got me FREE barbeque.


A trip to Chapel Hill wouldn’t be complete without a blue cup from He’s Not.


Mike and Kristen Kidd declaring, "yes, we are young and crazy!" (Rachel on the left is married so she's just young and proper)


Julie and Paul—best sister and brother-in-law ever—eating can’t-find-in-Japan Mexican food. I love you guys! Thanks for throwing me a party!


Mom and dad with Uncle Russ and cousin Miranda at one of our family meals.


Raleigh the cat being hugged by Julie. Raleigh the cat doesn’t really care for hugs.


Me and my farewell cake. Thanks wonderful family for all your love and support!

The Shaddix Family Rocks Kyoto

As I ran down the length of the Kansai International Airport arrival gate I had one thought going through my mind: hug mom and dad. They stood outside the customs exit waiting for their son to welcome them to Japan and a second later I was throwing off my bag and embracing them…and experiencing my first moment of speechlessness. My parents had come to Japan!

But unfortunately their luggage had not. This was only a minor bump in the road that would be rectified within about 24 hours (and thank goodness too!).

Our first stop was the train station to head off to the cultural capital of Kyoto. I kept watching them and wondering, when are they going to freak out? They look so calm and normal…

I don’t have time to write about all our adventures at the moment, but below are some pictures to enjoy. Mom and dad have been doing great and have conquered both the sqatty potty and raw fish.


Mom and dad’s first meal and first challenge: eating ramen with chopsticks! Since they hadn’t slept in about 24 hours I think their performance was pretty good.


Me outside Kiyomizudera. Rain accompanied us there.


Zen gardens at Ginkakuji. Truly moving designs set off by the gently falling rain.


Mom and dad in downtown Kyoto…some people were getting a little grumpy about finding dinner, but we managed to enjoy ourselves in the crowds.


Dragon drool for people to wash their hands in.


Priest on a bridge in Kyoto praying for those who pass by.